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“Your highness, your parents request your presence in the council room immediately.”
The young royal looked up from her desk, quill paused halfway in the air. “Thank you, Gardon. I will be there soon.”
Blaze watched as the guard left her study room. Sighing, the imperial princess gently placed her quill down and stood up. Her letters to Marine would have to wait.
She exited the room and entered a grand hall. The Imperial Castle was a fine work of beauty, over 1000 years old with most of its original design still intact. Blaze had read that it once housed hundreds of staff, along with such a big extended family that the entire east wing was still dedicated to bedrooms. Nowadays the staff living within the castle was much smaller (although the amount that still worked was still quite large), and the royal family preferred to spend their time in separate castles across Sol.
Whilst she looked regal and calm as always, the embers forming under her gloves said otherwise. Blaze had gotten good at controlling her powers, but in times of anxiety they still tended to be set off. There was only one reason her parents wanted to see her so desperately- it was time for The Conversation.
The Conversation was a yearly occurrence. Every year since she had turned 16, her parents would speak with her, usually a month or so before her next birthday, and gently push her on when she was going to find a significant other. It went the same way every year. She had it memorised by this point.
“Blaze, you’re [insert age] now. You must start thinking about a potential suitor. We’re worried that you haven’t found someone yet. You know, your father and I were betrothed around this age. You must have someone in mind by now.”
It was only a half-truth (Blaze knew her parents never even met until her mother’s 23rd birthday; the betrothal line was always a complete lie), but regardless they said it every year. And every year, Blaze had politely declined their requests to find a suitor. But time was ticking. Her 22nd birthday was a mere two months away, and she had the sneaking suspicion her parents would be less lenient now that she was older.
And it wasn’t as if Blaze wasn’t trying. At every event for the last three years, she had at least attempted to speak to someone who may be a potential suitor. But it was rare to come across any noblewomen who loved the same way Blaze did, and even rarer to find one who wasn’t overtly snobbish, rude or an overall annoyance to be around.
Blaze entered her parent’s council room. Inside, perched like an elaborate painting, were her parents, sitting at the end of the table. Her mother Ember was sealing a letter; her father Bark was quietly talking to a guard. Even in the middle of work, her parents looked like they had just stepped out of a fairy tale- perfect in every way, with not a step out of place. It was quite a talent that they made even the most mundane aspects of royalty look so elegant.
As soon as she stepped in the room, her parents stopped what they were doing. The guard in question was quickly dismissed.
“Mother, father,” Blaze began as soon as the guard exited. “You wanted to see me.”
Her mother’s golden eyes - a staple of the royal family - met Blaze’s own. She smiled thinly.
“Of course dear. Take a seat.”
Blaze sat down next to her mother. The round table, dedicated to meetings with the Sol General Council, felt so empty without anyone else.
Her father began.
“Blaze, you’re 21 now. You must start thinking about a potential suitor.”
Just like clockwork. Blaze sighed.
“Father, I am aware-”
“Blaze, dear, we have begun receiving marriage proposals from the Leonis Kingdom.”
Oh.
Blaze blinked. She had not been prepared for that.
“You have?”
“We have not responded yet,” Ember’s ears twitched in what could either be excitement or frustration. “But dear, you should take this as a sign to begin looking at your future soon. We would love to see you on the throne sooner rather than later.”
Blaze frowned. Sol tradition had it so the next royal was crowned on their wedding day. It was a tradition that Blaze had once thought as romantic. But now it was going to be a massive nuisance considering her parents wanted her on the throne soon.
Her father sighed. “Please take this seriously Blaze. We do not want to have to choose for you.”
If Blaze wasn’t already anxious, those words certainly made her.
Arranged marriages, historically, had never worked for Sol royalty. There was a reason that Sol kings and queens were notorious for declining any sort of marriage arrangements for their children. Arranged marriages for her family had always ended in terrible relationships, divorce, or even death (if her memory served her right). Her father hadn’t meant his words in bad faith- most people weren’t aware of the arrangement curse, not even some royals. But it was enough to freak Blaze out.
She needed to think of something to get out of that possibility. And she needed to think of it right now.
As Blaze desperately racked her mind for how to stall such a decision, she thought of an idea. Just a few months ago, she had attended the wedding of Queen Elise in Soleanna. She remembered that during the queen’s speech, she had mentioned how she and her partner had met at a ball. It gave Blaze an excellent idea to stall for time.
“A ball!”
“Pardon?”
Realising her tone, Blaze repeated herself more elegantly. “I apologise father. I mean, I would like to hold a ball for my birthday. We can invite citizens from across the kingdoms. I shall pick my suitor from the crowd.”
Her parents were expressionless. After a moment, her mother clasped her hands together in joy.
“Oh, that is a wonderful idea!” The tension from Blaze’s shoulders eased upon seeing her mother’s response. “It has been a long time since we held a ball.”
“We shall begin preparations immediately,” Her mother stood up, getting ready to alert whatever staff she needed to assist her in party-planning. “But Blaze, dear, you promise you will find courtship at this ball?”
Blaze clasped her hands politely and nodded. “I promise mother, I will have a suitor by the end of the night.”
She ignored the sparks of fire anxiously ticking her palms.
~○~
Amy looked at the garden with pride. She had been at this project for three weeks now, and she couldn’t be more happy with the outcome. A mix of pink, white and red roses, creating a beautiful symbol of the Moebius family crest. Pale blue hydrangea bushes, growing to create dimension to the main attraction, bloomed brightly under the afternoon sun. The grass surrounding the garden was back to being healthy and green, after months of only having the most basic of care from the other gardeners.
It was perfect.
“Hey Amy!”
“Gah!” The gardener jumped, stumbling forward. Luckily, she stabilised herself before she could land on her beautiful project. She turned around, hands on her hips and gave the intruder an annoyed look.
“Sonic! Don’t scare me like that!”
“Sorry!” The crown prince grinned sheepishly, running a hand through his quills. Amy pouted back at him. If it wasn’t for them being friends, she would’ve been a lot harsher on him.
“What are you even doing out here?” Amy asked. “Shouldn't you be in-”
“A meeting?” Sonic waved her question off. “Nah, Vector had to pull out. There’s no point doing a meeting about budgets when the finance guy isn’t even there. Besides,” Sonic pulled a letter out from behind his back, grinning. “I needed to show you this.”
Amy frowned. “What is that?”
“Only an invitation to the Sol Birthday Ball!”
“Oh wow!”
Amy’s royal knowledge outside of Moebius was rusty, but she knew enough about Sol to know how prominent the royal family was. They were regal, elegant, ethereal even. And they were known for being rather secretive. She wasn’t sure if she had ever heard of them throwing something like a ball before.
The only other thing she knew was that Sonic was good friends with its imperial princess, Blaze. It seemed like crown royals just flocked together.
“And I-” Sonic shoved the invitation into Amy’s hand. “Would like you to be my plus one.”
…
“What?!” Amy didn’t know what to say. She stared at her friend, jaw-slacked. “Are you serious?!”
“Do you really think I’d lie to you about something like this?”
Amy looked at the invitation, bewildered. “But, but- what about your siblings? Shouldn’t they be going?”
“Sonia’s partner is in town,” Sonic rolled his eyes sarcastically. “Manic will probably ‘get sick’ the day we have to leave. And Tails is still pretty young for ball stuff. He doesn’t care about it.”
The last one was definitely an excuse on Sonic’s part (Tails is 16 now, Amy thought to herself, Since when was a teenager still too young for balls?), but she didn’t bother pointing it out.
“Plus,” Sonic continued, a sparkle of mischief in his eyes. “I know the real reason why this is happening.”
Amy’s ears perked up. “Oh? What is it?”
“Y’know Cinderella? With the whole “prince needs to choose a bride’ thing? Well it’s basically that, including the bride part. I’m only invited because I’m next in line. She doesn’t swing that way.”
Slowly, it dawned on Amy why he had asked her. Her face went red.
“No-”
“So why not bring my greatest, bestest sapphic friend I know along with me?”
And your only one, Amy thinks for a split second. Still, the young gardener couldn’t contain her excitement. Her face broke out into a wide grin, still flushed from the initial shock.
“Sonic!” Amy gripped her friend into a tight hug. “Of course I’ll go! Thank you so much!”
“A-Alright Amy, easy on the hug.” Sonic wheezed. Amy quickly loosened her grip to a more comfortable pressure.
A thought suddenly hit Amy.
“Oh my gosh, where am I going to find a dress?” Amy dropped Sonic out of the hug. “Or dancing lessons?!”
“Relax, I got it all figured out,” Sonic brushed off his blazer. “You don’t need to worry about anything.”
Amy pulled her friend back into another hug. This was going to be the greatest night of her life.
~○~
It was just as grand as Amy was expecting.
The history books did not lie- the Imperial grounds were extravagant. Pillars of ivory and jade surrounded the main castle, inviting visitors into a world of elegance. Stepping inside the ballroom felt like a page out of a fairy tale. Nobility from across all different kingdoms had gathered tonight, filling the ballroom with glamorous dresses and suits.
The last two months had been a bit of a blur for the young gardener. Rigorous dancing classes and etiquette lessons had equipped Amy to fitting in with the upper class. A series of dress fittings (by the royal family’s own seamstress!) provided Amy with the most beautiful dress she had ever worn- a high-necked, red ball gown, glistening with rubies. An exhausting amount of time spent trailing hairstyles and make-up combinations had paid off in a beautiful appearance. She still couldn’t believe she was even here.
Sonic did not take long to leave Amy behind (Probably to find that knight he wouldn’t stop talking about), but she really didn’t care. Actually being here was so exciting that she didn’t care if she was alone. In fact, by the time she had stepped inside, she had completely forgotten the entire reason she was invited in the first place.
The pink hedgehog spent the first hour on the fringes, observing the guests in awe and eating an assortment of sweets that had been laid out. Sonic had told her that it was almost entirely nobility that would be here, and he was correct. Everyone seemed so graceful, poised in a way that made them not only look important, but feel important.
…And yet Amy didn’t really like it. She couldn’t quite articulate why, but she didn’t like the aura these people gave off. Sonic was important, sure, but he always felt like a comforting figure- someone who wasn’t judgemental, or rude, or looked down on others for their social status. It was what had drawn Amy to him when they were younger. But these people… just by seeing how they treated the castle staff, she felt almost disgusted by their behaviour. Extremely arrogant and full of themselves. She was lucky none of them had tried talking to her.
She wondered if the princess wasn’t the same way. Sonic being friends with her was a green flag, but she still couldn’t be sure, especially after seeing the rest of the elite.
As Amy reached for another mini sandwich, an unusual movement caught her eye. A bright white flash of light, just out of her peripheral vision. She turned to see a small creature nibbling on a long-forgotten cookie.
A chao? Amy wasn’t aware that chao were found in Sol. Maybe it’s the royal pet?
Her eyes glued to the animal, the chao finished its snack and looked around. It suddenly bolted, heading right towards a barely-open door.
“H-Hey!” Amy called out, rushing after the chao. Worry filled her mind over the danger the chao could get into. She didn’t even know if it was the royal family pet- for all Amy knew, some random noble had brought their pet and let it run loose. Regardless, Amy thought that she should probably catch it and find its owner before it got into trouble.
Without thinking, Amy snuck through the large door, entering a dimly-lit hallway. The chao continued on its way, unaware of the chase that was going on. The chao moved deeper into the castle, slowing to a waddle after several minutes.
“Gotcha!”
Amy scooped the chao up into her arms. The hero chao made a cooing sound, unbothered by Amy’s movement. Amy gave it a small pat, to which it responded by cooing louder.
“I wonder what your name is?”
Now that Amy had stopped, she had a chance to look around. She had ended up in an unknown part of the castle. A few candles prevented the hallways from being shrouded in darkness. She could make out some closed doors and a curtain that had been closed over, but not much more. It was clear that Amy was not meant to be here.
Uh oh.
Amy held the chao out in front of her, talking to it. “Well, now we need to find our way out of here.”
“Excuse me?”
“GAH?!” Amy jumped at the sudden voice, clinging the chao to her chest. Immediately she began apologising for intruding. “I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t be here I just got lost and-”
Amy’s train of thought stopped when she turned to see the owner of the voice.
The woman in front of her was gorgeous. She was a purple cat, with short and shiny fur. Her hair was tied up high, with a soft curl to it that flowed down to her shoulders. In the centre of her forehead was a gem; Amy’s untrained eyes thought it was either a ruby or a coral gem. Her outfit- a purple and gold sari- was elegant and far outshone the other outfits of the night.
The woman’s tail flicked. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“N-No! It’s okay, I…” Amy suddenly felt herself becoming flustered in front of such beauty. The woman’s eyes moved over her, softening at the sight of the chao.
“Ah, you’ve found Papiya.”
“Papiya? Oh!” Amy suddenly realised what the elegant woman was referring to. “Is he the royal family’s?”
“I- Yes,” The woman hesitated for a moment before continuing. “...She’s the princess’ favourite.”
“I see,” Amy placed the chao on the ground, where it happily wandered off. “I didn’t know if it was supposed to be in the ballroom.”
Amy directed her attention to the floor, her ears going even pinker than usual. “Please don’t tell the princess I was here. I didn’t mean to trespass.”
“I’m sure she would understand.” Amy heard the woman reply. When she looked up, she noticed the woman had a small smile on her face. It was beautiful.
“W-What were you doing here anyways?” Amy kept the courage to stare at the woman instead of directing her eyes elsewhere. “I thought this would be off-limits.”
“It is, but… I am a good friend of the princess,” The woman seemed a bit surprised by the question. “And I, in all honesty, needed some space from everything. She won’t mind me being here… with some company.”
“O-oh,” Focus Amy! “I, um, I would love to keep you company!” Amy blushed. “If that’s okay with you.”
Amy swore she could see the slightest bit of pink on the woman’s face. “I would love that.”
The woman began to walk off, further away from where the two had come from. Amy took the hint and followed after her.
“Oh, I almost forgot to tell you my name!” Amy grinned as she caught up. “Amy Rose.”
“...I am Adara.”
Amy felt like the luckiest woman in the world at that moment.
~○~
This was going to end badly for Blaze.
The imperial princess had not been enjoying the ball. Almost every single person had been exactly as she was expecting- boring, selfish, rude and egotistical. Not a single appropriate suitor in sight. She knew that this would happen. And she couldn’t even use her best friend as a distraction; Silver had run off early into the night for “knightly duties” (which, Blaze knew, was a complete and utter lie).
That was, until she saw her. Blaze had noticed her instantly- how couldn’t she notice? From her overzealous joy to the dazzling dress, she drew Blaze’s attention immediately. Her heart raced as soon as she had spotted her against the table of snacks. She knew that she had to be the one. She had to get close to this bright-eyed guest.
And now here Blaze was. Talking to her. And she had no idea who Blaze was.
Blaze’s hands were uncomfortably warm as they walked. She hadn’t meant to not tell Amy- somewhat. But seeing this gorgeous woman in front of her had fried any sense of logic, and she had gained the (very stupid) idea to pretend that she wasn’t the imperial princess. She didn’t know why she did it. But it was too late to admit anything now.
“So, um,” Amy asked as they walked further into the castle. “Do you live around here?”
“Yes,” Blaze responded. “And you?”
“Oh, no, I’m from Moebius.”
“Ah.” That did explain why Amy looked so unfamiliar. Blaze was familiar with almost all the nobility in her kingdom.
“Yeah! Sonic brought me with him.”
“Sonic?” That made Blaze pause. Before Amy could question her, she added, “The prince?”
“Mhm!” Amy grinned, a beautiful smile that sent Blaze’s heart alight. “I’ve never been to a ball before. Well, I’ve never really stepped much outside of Moebius until this week.”
“Your first?” Blaze guided Amy towards a separate wing of the castle, further away from the ballroom. “That’s very unusual.”
“Oh, um, I’m not…” Amy rubbed her arm anxiously, looking sheepish. “I’m not noble or anything. I just work at the castle.”
That caught Blaze’s attention. She stopped suddenly, causing Amy to nearly stumble.
“What’s your position?”
Amy looked… scared? No, not scared. But she definitely looked anxious. “I’m a gardener.”
Somehow, that seemed like the perfect fit. Blaze smiled.
“Have you seen the gardens here yet?”
Amy shook her head. Doing her best to control herself, Blaze held out a hand.
“Here, I’ll show you.”
Amy paused, before smiling and placing her hand in Blaze’s. Blaze noticed that the tips of her ears were starting to go red.
“Ooh, your hands are so warm!” Amy noted as they continued walking.
“I get told that a lot.” Control yourself Blaze. The last thing she wanted to do was lose control and burn off Amy’s hand. But with how emotional she was feeling, it was admittedly a bit hard.
It was only a short walk to the castle gardens. The two women approached a large door, ingrained with a variety of floral designs. Blaze let go of Amy’s hand to push the doors open.
“Welcome to the imperial gardens, Amy.”
Blaze heard the woman gasp. The castle gardens, as with everything within the castle, were extravagant. Jasmines and marigolds decorated the pathways, inviting guests to dive deeper into the garden. Trees of all varieties provided shelter during the day, but now shrouded the garden in privacy. The middle of the garden featured an intricate water feature, with statues of the royal family’s founder and-
“Are those lotuses?” Amy started walking towards the garden's centre.
“You have a good eye,” Blaze followed her to the edge of the fountain. “They are the family’s personal collection. I… I’ve heard that the lotus roots from this garden are quite a dish for the family.”
“Ooh!” Blaze’s tail swished in joy seeing Amy’s glee. “I’ve heard lotus root is good, but it’s not really a, er, commoner food at home.”
Done looking at the lotuses, Amy perched herself up on the fountain’s edge, her dress spilling out in front of her. Blaze joined next to her.
“So, tell me about the Moebius gardens. I presume you must work on them, correct?”
“Oh!” Amy looked caught off guard by that question. Blaze’s mouth twitched into a smile. “Well, I just finished my big project for them. Mainly hydrangeas and roses. Blue hydrangeas are the royal family’s symbol and the roses… well, they let me do what I want as long as it looks pretty, and I’ve always loved roses. But there’s also this one beautiful oak tree at the back of the castle, it's 300 years old and Queen Aleena put me in charge of caring for it because I’m head of the gardeners. I think she’s worried nobody else will care for it as well.”
Watching Amy rant, eyes wide with ambition as she described the plants… it set off something in Blaze. As if she wasn’t already feeling something around Amy, seeing her so passionate made Blaze just feel completely infatuated with her.
She was the one.
“Adara? Are you listening?”
The false name pulled Blaze out of her thoughts. She had been staring at Amy. She guessed that both of them were looking pretty lovestruck, based on Amy’s expression.
“I- yes I was. Sorry.”
Amy smiled. “It’s okay. You should, um, tell me about yourself. I’ve already spoken too much about me.”
Blaze could spend all night listening to Amy talk, but she complied. She racked her brain for something to talk about, but the only thing she could think about right now was Amy. And how warm her own hands were.
“...I have pyrokinesis.”
“Pyro-what?” Amy asked, curious.
“I can control fire,” Blaze was playing it risky here, revealing her abilities, but she couldn’t think of anything else. “It’s… it’s a very rare gift. Some legends say it comes from the Sol Emeralds, which hold great power.”
Blaze flicked her wrist and held out a small flame from her palm.
“Woah.” Amy looked at it in awe.
“It took me many years to control,” Blaze contorted the flame into a Sol emerald. “And even now, I worry I will burst out flames if I don’t focus on my emotions. But I’ve learnt to appreciate it and see it as… unique.”
“It’s beautiful.” Amy’s hand moved to hold Blaze’s free one. Blaze noticed that she looked a bit tired.
“Already falling asleep?”
“Hm? Amy moved closer, cuddling up to Blaze’s free arm. “No, just- I didn’t realise balls would run this late.”
“It’s not that late,” Blaze chuckled. “It’s only-”
“BLAZE!”
Oh no.
~○~
Amy was very confused.
The sound of a door bursting open and someone yelling frightened both the women to stand up. Adara had placed herself between Amy and the would-be assailant, ready to defend. Her defensive position quickly fell however as the two saw who had called out- a silver-coloured knight, more surprised than anything else.
However, the name called out had sent a shiver down Amy’s spine. And not in a good way.
“Blaze, what are you doing out here?!” The knight walked towards them, seemingly oblivious to Amy’s presence. “Your parents have been looking for you!”
“I just needed a break,” Adara - no, Blaze - sounded annoyed. “You don’t need to follow my every move.”
“Well you shouldn’t be running off without telling anyone!” The knight flailed wildly, expressing his concern. “You could’ve been hurt or-”
His eyes suddenly noticed Amy standing there. His concern quickly turned into smugness.
“Oh, so this is why you ran off.” He gave both of them a sly grin.
“Silver,” Blaze’s expression grew dark. “Don’t make me force you out of here.”
“I’ll leave you two alone. But hurry up. Your parents really aren’t happy that you ran off.”
The knight gave them another grin before leaving the garden, closing the doors suddenly. Blaze sat back down on the fountain’s edge, head in her hands.
“Oh my- Amy I am so sorry for that interruption.”
Amy wasn’t paying attention.
Silver, the knight, had called out for Blaze. The imperial princess. And the woman she thought was Adara had responded. She had been with Blaze this entire time. Her, Amy Rose, a lowly commoner gardener, had been spending the entire night with Crown Imperial Princess Blaze.
She never felt more embarrassed in her life.
“Amy? Are you alright?”
Amy snapped out of her shock and said the first thing that came to her head.
“I’m sorry!”
Blaze blinked at her, golden eyes unreadable. “Pardon?”
“I-I’m so sorry for everything!” Amy began to spill out everything into a wild word vomit. “I really hope I didn’t offend you, I’m just not great at knowing anything outside Moebius and- and gosh I so sorry I even stumbled in here in the first place, I-I really should’ve just stayed and-”
“Amy, you don’t need to apologise.”
“W-What?” Amy stopped her rant mid-sentence. Blaze was smiling softly, although she noticed the concern in the princess’ expression.
“I assure you, I am not angry or upset,” Blaze directed her eyes to the fountain, her cheeks growing a deep shade of red. “Really, I should be apologising to you. I shouldn’t have lied about my identity. But… it was nice talking to someone who wasn’t interested in my position, but was interested in me. I wanted to hold onto that for as long as possible.”
Amy was gripping her skirt so hard she was afraid she was going to tear it.
“So,” Amy fiddled with the skirt’s lacing, eyeing Blaze. “You didn’t mind me doing all that talking?”
“Why would I? Listening to you describe flowers and gardening has been the most fun I’ve had in years.”
Their eyes met & Amy couldn’t help but smile. All that embarrassment and anxiety over being around the princess seemed to melt away instantly.
“We should get back to the ball,” Blaze sighed. “Before Silver comes back and asks what’s taking me so long.”
“Oh! Right!” Amy had, in all honesty, forgotten the ball was still happening. She jumped up from the fountain, ready to leave. Blaze held out her hand.
“Would you like to accompany me for the rest of the night?”
Amy grinned, a sparkle in her eyes.
“I would love to.”